Cox will play crucial role in Eagles’ reset
PHILADELPHIA – As he approaches the decade mark in the NFL, Fletcher Cox has experienced just about every high and low pro football has to offer.
The Eagles defensive lineman knows all too well the accuracy of the old adage, “The only constant is change.”
Cox is on head coach No. 5, defensive coordinator No. 4 and starting quarterback No. 6 as his Eagles this offseason – just four years after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy – abruptly hit the reset button following an injury-plagued 4-11-1 campaign, firing coach Doug Pederson and trading away passer Carson Wentz.
Only seven other players from that underdog Super Bowl champion roster remain.
But No. 91 is still here, still anchoring a defensive line that for so long has served as the heart and soul of the team.
Youth and inexperience abounds just about everywhere else on this Philadelphia squad. Nick Sirianni, 40, has never served as a head coach on any level. And several of his assistants are even younger than he is.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has started only four games and remains a project, and none of his receivers have more than three seasons under their belts. And the youth movement doesn’t stop there.
So, the way Cox sees it, while the other units get caught up to speed around him, the Eagles’ success hinges on his tone-setting defensive line.
“(Eagles owner) Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie has always built the team around the D-linemen and expects us to take over,” Cox told USA TODAY Sports. “If we’re good, the team is good.”
It’s a point of pride for Cox, 30, a sixtime Pro Bowl selection who remains just as hungry for success with this current squad as he was in pursuit of his first ring.
“Absolutely. It’s going to start up front because that room has the most experience,” Cox said. “You’ve got a lot of guys in that room that have played a lot of ball. Myself, and Derek Barnett, (free agent signing Ryan) Kerrigan, Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave. We’ve all played a lot of ball and seen a lot of things, and we just all have to stick together. … Maintain that chip on our shoulders.”
Cox believes winning in the trenches will position the linebackers and secondary for success. A disruptive defense will in turn ease pressure on Hurts and the offense by giving them more possessions and shorter fields to work with.
He has seen it work before, when the 2017 Philly defense ranked top-five in almost every major statistical category.
The unit carried the team to the playoffs despite Wentz’s late, season-ending knee injury, with the Eagles ultimately going on to upset Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s feared Patriots.
Sirianni has limited experience, but so too did Pederson, who guided the Eagles to the Super Bowl 52 win in Year 2.
In his first training camp as head coach, Sirianni is making a strong impression on his veterans and quickly winning them over. A high-energy coach with strong communication and people skills, Sirianni has displayed an ability to connect with members of the organization from top to bottom.
“You have to understand his train of thought and his goals and understand that he’s out here coaching,” Cox said of Sirianni. “It’s understanding, whether he’s a first-year head coach or a 15-year head coach, he has his ways of
how he wants things done and everybody getting on the same page.”
Cox is aware that some players of his status would have found a role in a rebuilding project unappealing. Rather than try to force his way out of the organization and onto a contender, the 2012 first-round pick saw value in loyalty.
“It’s my 10th year, and I’m blessed to be able to play for the same organization in this league for 10 years,” Cox said while sitting under a shade tree in front of Eagles headquarters – the only place he has called home in the NFL. “The commitment – I have to understand, they drafted me, they’ve put a lot of time in me, they gave me contracts, and so, the biggest thing for me is staying here, is being committed not only to the guys upstairs, but my teammates.
“It’s just knowing who you are,” he continued. “It’s basically about being a pro in everything and how you approach it, and really, that’s what I’ve done the whole entire time I’ve been here. You have to treat people the way you want to be treated.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the media; the people that take care of you, who always have your back; our media team, community relations, the janitor, the cafeteria workers – appreciating everybody. And not getting upset. Letting the little things go.”
Cox’s commitment to excellence has always had a ripple effect within the Eagles locker room, and his leadership and belief in the potential of his teammates and coaches is possibly more important now than ever.
“Bunch of young guys that need to grow up fast. I’m excited about it,” Cox said. “I’m excited about the new coaching staff, and you just approach it as, ‘Hey, man. You come here and there are 32 teams in the NFL with the same goal.’ The thing is, can this team stay focused enough? And I think we can, to reach that goal.”